How To Reduce Homelessness In The United States

In the 1640’s homelessness began to be an issue in the United States, and over time the homeless population continues to grow. During this time period not having a home was seen as god’s way of punishing the people. According to most religious folk as long as you didn’t disobey god your needs would always be met (Fischer). Youth homelessness first appeared in the 1850’s, the biggest reasoning for this is because parents could not afford to care for their young adults anymore. During the Industrial Revolution many people that moved to cities quickly became homeless, causing many people to turn to panhandling and prostitution. The Great Depression in the 1930’s was responsible for a large mass of people going homeless, due to a lack of income and available jobs in the market. Natural disasters such as the Great Chicago Fire and Hurricane Katrina can cause mass homelessness. Since houses have to be rebuilt and locals lose their money and possessions some are forced to be homeless for extended amounts of time. People born into poverty lack the confidence in improving their lives, so instead of getting an education and trying to better themselves, they continue with the only life they know, usually on the streets. Did you know that more than six hundred thousand families sleep on the streets every night in the United
Shelters offer temporary housing, which is good but that means it’s also a temporary solution, not a way to stop homelessness completely. This is also one of the most expensive solutions, on average almost $5,000 a month is spent per family (The Atlantic). Since the occupants do not pay rent, the tax payer’s money is spent to run the facilities, are care for the people’s needs. The amount of violence and crime in shelters also makes them unsafe for the elderly, and women and children, forcing them to stay on the streets which is also very